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By BILL DANIELSON

The word was “exuvia” and those of us that heard it were overcome with a mixture of surprise, confusion and skepticism. The person who dished up this scientific morsel was Brian Adams, professor emeritus of environmental science at Greenfield Community College. The setting for such an utterance was a radio studio at WHMP in Northampton, where I was sitting for an interview with Brian, Bill Newman and Buz Eisenberg on their wonderful “Talk-the-Talk” program on July 23.

By BILL DANIELSON

We find ourselves in the middle of “deep summer.” Air conditioners are running at full tilt and many outdoor activities are restricted to the early-morning hours before things get really uncomfortable. I know that I frequently find myself thinking about jumping into a pond in the middle of a hot summer afternoon. Pools of dark water that hide secrets from us are very alluring when the temperature rises and the idea of quietly floating in a lake or pond is something that will resonate with many of you. As it happens, I was lucky enough to get the chance to do just that when visiting my brother up in Maine.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

Two Ashfield residents will be opening their gardens to visitors seeking a tour today, Saturday, July 19, as part of a nationwide Open Garden Day, organized by the Garden Conservancy.

By BILL DANIELSON

It is now “full summer” and, as many others might be tempted to do, I have gone on my first camping trip of the year. To be honest, it was more like a “glamping” trip. My brother has a new camp up in northern Maine and my sister traveled north to enjoy a sort of camping reunion. There were no spouses, no pets, and no responsibilities other than relaxing and having fun. My brother installed a wonderful array of solar panels, which gave us access to electricity. Only the absence of running water made this anything remotely related to camping.

By BILL DANIELSON

As we begin the month of July, we find ourselves in an interesting moment in the year. Most of the birds have already had their first round of chicks and some species may try for another round of breeding. Other species of birds have made their one and only attempt at reproduction and, successful or not, they will not try again. It is something that you can actually hear across the landscape in the early morning. Some species are still singing, while others are now quiet.

By BILL DANIELSON

Last week, we observed the first day of summer and Nature seemed to acknowledge the occasion with a change in the weather. The first three weeks of June saw a continuation of the rain that has dampened our collective spirits for weeks and months. Now, in the first full week of summer we have been roasted with high temperatures. This naturally led to some epic humidity, which has been a real treat for anyone who works in an office without air conditioning. Oh what fun it has been.

By BILL DANIELSON

The story of this spring has been the weather; specifically, the rain that just keeps falling. Add in the new arrival of the hazy smoke blowing south from Canadian wildfires and you’ve got a soggy, foggy, smoky, cloudy mess. The grass in my lawn is growing like crazy and the notion of a No Mow May wasn’t even really much of a choice so much as it was foisted upon us by the weather. When I finally get a dry moment to get out into the yard I am going to have to keep my eyes open for tigers and velociraptors in the tall grass.

By BILL DANIELSON

June is upon us and we are all set to celebrate Father’s Day this coming weekend. If we have any luck at all the weather will be cooperative, but the pattern has been pretty dismal so far; 12 consecutive rainy weekends according to my brother. It has been a rough spring for outdoor activities, but that is seen strictly through the human lens. Our wild neighbors have a schedule to keep and the game is on rain or shine.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

ROWE — A colony of cliff swallows, one of just eight known to be living in Massachusetts, will have its nests removed from Town Hall after the end of breeding season.

By BILL DANIELSON

Anyone who has spent any time birding will understand that there are certain birds that are more difficult to find than others. Anyone who has spent a lifetime birding will understand that there are certain species that are diabolically difficult to find. Anyone who has spent any time trying to photograph birds will understand that there are some species that are diabolically difficult to find, but even more difficult to spot in the viewfinder of a camera. Today I introduce you to just such a bird, the great crested flycatcher (Myiarchuscrinitus).

By BILL DANIELSON

It has been a long, wet, raw month of May and my outdoor time has been curtailed by rotten weather on the weekends. So, it was with the utmost enthusiasm that I capitalized on a rare rain-free Saturday morning to get down to the Thinking Chair and commune with Nature just a bit. The chickadees (at least one of them) were ready to resume the practice of landing on my hat for some treats and I was very happy about that. I was also keen to see what was going on deeper in the forest, so after an hour of quiet observation time I got up out of my chair and headed into the woods.

By BILL DANIELSON

Last Saturday was a bit of a milestone for me. It might easily have come and gone without me realizing it, but thanks to my obsessive record keeping I happened to see a notation in the pages of my 2025 field diary and avoided an embarrassing oversight. Last Saturday marked the 28th anniversary of Speaking of Nature, an event that I don’t think I could have ever imagined back in 1997 when I sent in my first column.

By BILL DANIELSON

The great spring migration is in full swing and millions upon millions of birds are flying northward across our entire continent every night. The weather will always play a big role in the exact timing of the movements of the birds, but every morning offers up the opportunity to detect the presence of yet another new arrival. Birds often “surf” on waves of air associated with storms, so the first clear morning after a couple days of rain can be particularly exciting.